Mahoning RiverFest to include bike tour and bird watching

WARREN -- The Mahoning River will be the focus of a daylong festival Saturday in Packard Park. The third annual Mahoning RiverFest will feature canoe tours, historical walks, live music, theater, drumming and food by the banks of the area's most significant geological feature. The event is sponsored by the Mahoning River Consortium, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cleaning up the 108-mile river. Schedule: A guided four-mile bike tour and a bird watching trip will start at 9 a.m., before the festival begins in earnest at 10 a.m. Activities continue until 7 p.m., and festival-goers are encouraged to bring bicycles for an 18-mile self-guided tour. A kayak, donated by Outback Gear of Niles, and a mountain bike donated by Thumm's of Warren will be raffled off. The Western Reserve Transit Authority will be offering free rides to RiverFest via the No. 39 Warren Express line.